Pakistan defeat Australia by 16 runs

The Australian batting card tells a sorry story here. Finch made 65, Maxwell a whirlwind 75 but no-one else cracked doublets digits. The regular flow of wickets that followed Australia's one threatening partnership added up to complete disaster and so Pakistan claim a mighty win to keep their tournament hopes alive. Shahid Afridi was quite excellent with an undefeated 20 with the bat and 2-30 from his 4 over bowling allotment. Zulfiqar and Gul contained and Bhatti returned from ignominy to ice the game.

From a batting perspective, only two players really got going on both sides. Umar Akmal played an explosive innings of 94 to lift his side above 190 and got purposeful assistance from his brother Kamran. The Aussies must now let the dust settle and move on. In a forgettable performance they bowled and fielded poorly, then (Finch and Maxwell aside) batted like amateurs to fall in a heap late in the game.

That's all from me, but thanks for joining us for this clash and make sure you drop by for more of the live OBO action from the World T20.

WICKET! Haddin c Malik b Bhatti 8 (Australia 173-9)

If you or anyone else can locate the plot, Australia would like to hear from you because they have completely misplaced it here.. Needing 3 sixes to tie the game, Haddin holes out to Malik in the deep.

WICKET! Starc run out 1 (Australia 172-8)

Australia need 23 from the over and just to keep things interesting, Mohammad Hafeez brings Bhatti back into the attack. Haddin starts with two down the ground and after being dropped by Afridi, he and Starc conjure a run-out from nowhere, consolidating Australia's collapse into a state of abject farce. Oh boy.

19th over: Australia 169-7 (Haddin 5, Starc 3)

What Australia wouldn't give for a few more of Glenn Maxwell's sixes right now. They looked a short-price favourite just half an hour ago but they've fallen in a massive hole here, which is testament to the ability of Pakistan to collect themselves at a moment in which they were genuinely under fire.

WICKET! Coulter-Nile b Gul 0 (Australia 163-7)

Umar Gul looked like a liability early but now he's a hero, splattering Coulter-Nile's stumps and sending Australia to almost certain death. What a turnaround this has been after Maxwell's heroics earlier.

18th over: Australia 162-6 (Haddin 1, Coulter-Nile 0)

The new man Coulter-Nile can really biff them, but for now he's no match for Ajmal. Australia need 30 from 12 deliveries and it's not looking likely. Is it just me, or is the background music ludicrously bad tonight? It sounds like rush-hour at Globo-Gym.

WICKET! Finch b Ajmal 65 (Australia 162-6)

Oh dear. That is a disaster for Australia and the man we spoke about earlier has struck. Ajmal clean bowls Finch and the Aussies are in a fair bit of strife all of a sudden. 3 wickets in 16 balls and they're staring down the barrel.

WICKET! Hodge c Ajmal b Gul 2 (Australia 155-5)

Well... it's Umar Gul to bowl the 17th over and I must say I'm slightly surprised as it would appear to play right into the hands of the new man Hodge and his partner, neither of whom particularly relish facing the spinners. Then the move pays off in spectacular fashion when Hodge is caught in the deep attempting to slash an inside-out boundary. Pakistan have a sniff and we're set for a thrilling finish. Maybe.

16th over: Australia 153-4 (Finch 58, Hodge 1)

After a single to the new man Hodge, Finch takes the initiative, clumping Afridi for a boundary and then two. Still,when his spell finishes up at 2-30 from 4 overs, you have to feel that Afridi has almost single-handedly kept his side in this contest.

WICKET! Bailey b Afridi 4 (Australia 146-4)

Afridi clean bowls Bailey in much the same manner as Warner departed earlier, with the batsman stepping back to cut and missing. Australia have depth in their batting but will now enter a nervy period if they're to knock off this target.

15th over: Australia 146-3 (Finch 52, Bailey 4)

Ajmal returns at the perfect time for Pakistan, who have a foothold for the first since Australia's calamitous first over. The Australian pair are both looking scratchy and each miscued stroke seems to be contagious, even if a few of them are reaping singles. Again Finch is lucky when an outside edge flies wide of keeper Akmal and down to the third man boundary. That brings up his half-century, too.

14th over: Australia 138-3 (Finch 47, Bailey 2)

Maybe, just maybe. All of a sudden the asking rate is up to 9 per over and Afridi is doing a decent job of containing Finch and is unlucky when a thick outside edge flies over the head of Umar Gul at deep gully. Afridi therefore does the right thing and gives his clearly-hobbled teammate an almighty mouthful of abuse.

13th over: Australia 132-3 (Finch 42, Bailey 1)

Zulfiqar appears now and spoils a couple of promising dots by firing a full toss at Finch's pads. The Victorian is not going to miss out on a cheap boundary from a ball like that so flicks it through fine leg for another four. Bailey gets off the mark with a single and will probably look to give Finch as much of the strike as he can now.

12th over: Australia 126-3 (Finch 37, Bailey 0)

WICKET! Maxwell c Shehzad b Afridi 74 (Australia 126-3)

Maxwell is kicking himself when he can only manage a measly single from Afridi's rank half-tracker. Moments later he gets two from a shambolic series of attempted run-outs, from which the Aussie pair pinch an overthrow. But then, out of the clouds of doom, Afridi claims Maxwell, caught on the boundary attempting to launch another ball into an adjacent planet. Can Pakistan do it? Probably not but that certainly helps.

11th over: Australia 122-2 (Finch 36, Maxwell 73)

Here is an interesting metric that I just invented;"The disengaged fan index". A friend of mine with minimal interest in cricket just sent me a text that simply says, "Big Show!" That, my friends, is more than a million dollars worth of talent.

Apparently Saeed Ajmal is just as invested in Maxwell's innings, because he drops him a remarkable three times in one attempt down in the deep. That was after Akmal had dropped Finch the ball prior. The bowler, Umar Gul, gives his teammate a rueful smile and thumbs up but that might also be code for "I am going to smother you with a pillow while you sleep tonight."

James Steerforth is multi-tasking. "Swapping between reading Gideon Haigh's new book, Glenn Maxwell's innings and the OBO is an interesting experience, one must say. Some days, I'd much prefer a leisurely perusal of cricketing facial hair through the ages." Gideon is always a safe bet, I find.

10th over: Australia 117-2 (Finch 34, Maxwell 70)

Wisely for the sake of Pakistan though not for cricket comedy, Bhatti is replaced by the spinner Ajmal. Maxwell is having none of his technical wizardry and slashes him for six with a stroke that calls to mind the cracking of a whip. An 85 metre long whip, as it turns out. A follow-up effort bounces once before crossing the rope, which now counts as an anti-climax perversely enough.

Just to give us one gentle reminder that his side is not merely a collection of bowling machines offering up highlight reel fodder, Ajmal sends a doosra past Maxwell's outside edge.

Meanwhile, Robert Wilson has dubious marriage advice. "Rachit Gupta needs to get out of there immediately! Homebase. red cushions. He is clearly the victim of a very invasive psychological endurance test. It is accepted scientific fact that men recognise seventeen fewer shades of red than women and don't actually know what cushions are. If he sees any clipboards, the boy better run."

9th over: Australia 105-2 (Finch 33, Maxwell 59)

Remember when we thought Glenn Maxwell wasn't worth $1 million? Ha, what jokers we were. Zulfiqar might not think he is either and his over only goes for 3; a tenth of the pain his teammate Bhatti suffered in the one before.

8th over: Australia 102-2 (Finch 31, Maxwell 58)

Now it's Bhatti's turn to cop some stick and Finch barely takes a look at his seamers before he's biffing him over mid wicket for a boundary. They provide an interesting contrast in physiques if not batting styles, this pair. Maxwell is rangy and slim, Finch short and portly. For now, both are producing similar results as Maxwell cuts Bhatti classically and then cross bats him over mid-wicket for a pair of boundaries. Apparently the last landed in "the orange zone", which is apparently the colour of extreme bowling embarrassment. It may as well be agent orange for Pakistan, because those two fours are followed by a crunching six over mid-on.

Bhatti is probably right in assuming that a beamer is the only thing Maxwell won't clobber at the moment, but in evading it he also ensures it runs away for four byes. The cover-driven boundary that follows is almost apologetic to the bowler, who goes for 30 runs in an over so cataclysmic that newspapers are probably writing his obituary.

7th over: Australia 72-2 (Finch 26, Maxwell 38)

Afridi is on for a trundle now, meeting his modern-day understudy in Maxwell. I'm not sure who that is being unkind to but it's Finch who does the initial damage, sweeping Afridi for an aggressive six. Maxwell obviously sees this as a personal challenge from his teammate because he thumps one of his own even higher and longer. This is mad and quite brilliant. The Aussies are not only back, they're in command.

6th over: Australia 57-2 (Finch 18, Maxwell 31)

Oh no. The death knock. Ajmal is on and Australian lips are quivering in fear. He makes Finch look like a chump from his second delivery, which pops up off the outside edge for a single.

Maxwell, surprise surprise, tries to hoof him over the fence first up but only manages a single down into the deep so it is Finch who finishes what his partner started, lifting the next delivery into the stands at mid wicket. Even more impressive is an improvised chop through cover next up, which Finch sends for another boundary. That actually wasn't so bad; 13 runs and nary a sniff of a wicket.

5th over: Australia 44-2 (Finch 6, Maxwell 30)

Umar Gul appears now to tackle Aaron Finch and though his first three deliveries seem innocuous enough they also tie the Aussie in knots and he can't get them away. That bad luck continues when a fence-bound straight drive hits Gul in the shin and only reaps a single. I suppose that's bad luck for the bowler too. Ouch. Maxwell finishes the over with a pair of boundaries but he actually looks bored. I don't think he's even hit his straps yet.

James Hobbs, on the other hand, is still on Team Warner. "To be fair, Warner's tournament strike rate of 400 is looking good." 200, put still tracking okay.

4th over: Australia 35-2 (Finch 5, Maxwell 22)

Maxwell has decided he's the boss. He plays a classical slog (by his standards) over mid wicket for six and then a far more park-grade follow-up that trickles away for one. What I love about Maxwell is that he possesses the greatest and worst attributes of T20 cricket rolled into the one sinewy package. He further proves with a swivel-sweep over fine leg for another six that makes you laugh it's so impressive. He's like a video game character, our Glenn. Hafeez has been smashed, possibly out of the attack.

3rd over: Australia 20-2 (Finch 3, Maxwell 9)

Finch is aggressive now, flat-batting a single from Zulfiqar, allowing Maxwell to play a lofted sweep for a welcome boundary. Maxwell's next stroke is even better, a classical lofted cover drive which also runs away for four. The over finishes with two ambitious LBW shouts when Maxwell plays a few more of his patented "what the hell is he thinking or does he not think anything at all?" strokes.

2nd over: Australia 11-2 (Finch 2, Maxwell 1)

Hafeez pairs with the left-armer so Pakistan start with a dual-spin attack and after Finch's single, Maxwell plays a quite breathtakingly dumb reverse sweep from which he's almost bowled as well. Clearly the tumble of early wickets has not disrpted his want to dominate the bowling at all costs.

WICKET! Watson c Akmal b Zulfiqar 4 (Australia 8-2)

Apparently Zulfiqar is 35 years old but to be brutally honest, he looks a similar vintage as Brad Hogg. That matters not when he has Shane Watson smartly caught behind by Kamran Akmal from another loose Australian shot. This is a horror start for the Aussies.

WICKET! Warner b Zulfiqar 4 (Australia 4-1)

Warner gets off the mark with a heart-stopping top edge, which flies perilously close to the man deep at point, but the left-arm spinner Zulfiqar gets him the next bal. He bowls Warner neck and crop when the batsman steps back and attempts a risky late cut.

Scary stat time

Pakistan have an 86% win rate when they bat first and score over 145. That is a little alarming for Australia, right?

Rachit Gupta is desperate for updates: "Many thanks for bringing the game to our mobile screens when we are busy shopping for red cushions in homebase (and that's why they stop showing what happens after happily ever after...) Nonetheless, apparently Australia have fielded like Pakistan and Pakistan are onto a very competitive score which I don't think Aussies will be able to challenge... As an Indian fan this makes me very worried as a lot of fans on here were crowing about 9-0 and I think that this competition will see the end of Indian supremacy in ICC competitions if Ind and Pak so manage to proceed to the next round."

Par score thoughts

Robert Wilson says, "Nobody has a clue about par scores in 20/20. You might as well ask a cricket-hating Frenchman or a four year-old Albanian. It's not a precise science. Oh look, they got 121 for 3! or 86 for 7! Humungous whoop, as Aaron Sorkin would say. In fact, we should ask him. And he thought Bermuda played Tests."

I'm sure if you gave Aaron Sorkin a cricket ball he wouldn't bowl as many full tosses as the Aussies just did. He'd probably be a better sledger too, or at least a far wordier one.

Anyway, I better go grab a drink while I can. I think there is a ginger beer in the fridge with my name on it.

20th over: Pakistan 191-4 (Afridi 20, Malik 6)

Starc is mistaken in thinking that he'll get Afridi with another full toss, because the batsman merely flicks it down through third man for a boundary before shanking a single from the next. Shoaib Malik is a little more fortunate when he toes a boundary through the vacant slips cordon but Starc's delivery was culpably wide. It's been a lacklustre bowling performance from this Aussie attack in general, really. Malik finishes with a streaky two over mid-on, bringing his side to 191 and giving the Aussies a fair bit to think about as they head into the sheds to try and re-group.

They'll have to produce a far more efficient display with the bat, the Aussies, because they were sloppy in the field and awful with the ball. Coach Darren Lehmann is smiling and joking on the outside but he also might be considering dishing out a bollocking to his side.

WICKET! Umar Akmal c Maxwell b Starc 94 (Pakistan 180-5)

The responsibility of bowling the final over is handed to Mitchell Starc and though he offers up another rank full toss, a tired Umar can only sky it into the deep where he's caught by Glenn Maxwell. What a super innings that was from Umar; a personal best that has put his side in a a healthy position.

19th over: Pakistan 180-4 (Umar Akmal 94, Afridi 15)

Bollinger returns to complete the thankless task of trying to limit the bleeding for Australia and his only blessing here is that Umar is starting to cramp up in the legs from all that six-hitting. The latter gets two when he bunts one down to long on for two and then the same result when he slogs high towards deep mid-wicket, where it plugs in the outfield. From the second of those shots, Aaron Finch made quite minimal effort to get around and attempt a catch so the batsman lives to continue his personal tilt at three figures.

18th over: Pakistan 175-4 (Umar Akmal 89, Afridi 15)

Like a worrying number of his teammates, Starc returns to the attack with a poor delivery. His attempted yorker ends up a full toss, which Umar gleefully dispatches over cover for a boundary before scampering a single from the next delivery. He's clearly trying to get Afridi on strike, Umar, which is a selfless approach to the task at hand given his impending milestone.

Afridi then scoops one straight at Brad Hodge at point, but the vertically-challenged Aussies miscues his leap in a quite shambolic manner and shells the chance. It's costly because the resultant single brings Umar on strke and the in-form man promptly wallops Starc over mid-wicket for another six.

17th over: Pakistan 162-4 (Umar Akmal 77, Afridi 14)

After missing Watson's first delivery altogether, Afridi takes an almighty heave at the next and gets an inside edge down to fine leg for two. His fantasy shot from that delivery is perfected on the next, which he sends some 98 metres over mid-wicket for six. It's basically a damage limitation exercise for the Aussies now as both these batsman are in the mood. Afridi lofts Watson's final delivery over mid-off for another boundary and there is much skaking of heads and words muttered under the breath in the Aussie camp.

WICKET! Maqsood b Coulter-Nile 5 (Pakistan 147-4)

Maqsood is doing Akmal a power of good by getting off strike with regularity, allowing the established batsman to have his way with the bowling, but he's cleaned up by another fast yorker from Coulter-Nile. That will bring Afridi to the crease, which is where things might get really fun.

15th over: Pakistan 140-3 (Umar Akmal 70, Maqsood 4)

Bollinger returns to the attack with a terrible delivery, gift-wrapping Umar his highest T20I score by straying onto the batsman's pads and getting clipped away for an effortless boundary. He tends to save his bet for the Aussies in this format, does Umar. His placement has been exemplary and there's a maiden T20I century here for the taking if he continues on in this style. For now he and Maqsood trade in singles, which means that 10 runs come from the over with minimal exertion.

14th over: Pakistan 131-3 (Umar Akmal 63, Maqsood 2)

Maqsood starts nervily facing up to the wily but struggling Hogg, missing a wrong 'un that very nearly takes his off stump but flies away again to the boundary for four byes. That was a little better from Hogg, but there are still eight runs in that over for Pakistan. 10 an over from here gets them their 190.

13th over: Pakistan 123-3 (Umar Akmal 61, Maqsood 0)

WICKET! Kamran Akmal c Warner b Coulter-Nile 31 (Pakistan 121-3)

Pakistan are well on track for 180-190 now, which looked completely unlikely as recently as 5 overs ago. With that it's Coulter-Nile who has to return and face the music from this Akmal alliance. Umar steps up to the plate and drives late for a boundary fine of the point region but Kamran is not so fortunate and his slog down to the deep cover boundary is caught smartly by a fast-moving David Warner. Australia will hope that helps to stem the tide a little, though they'd have preferred to squeeze out Umar.

12th over: Pakistan 114-2 (Kamran Akmal 30, Umar Akmal 53)

Well, that part-timer thing happened a little quicker than expected and it's Aaron Finch who appears to bowl his left-arm spinners. The gamble looks immediately shaky when Umar launches a half-tracker high over the mid-wicket boundary for six and then cuts past Watson at gully when Finch gives him a laughable amount of width to work with.

Not learning from earlier mistakes or perhaps incapable of doing any better, Finch pitches short again and gets the same treatment as earlier as Umar brings up his half-century with a towering six. To say this is going awry for the Aussies is quite an understatement.

11th over: Pakistan 96-2 (Kamran Akmal 29, Umar Akmal 36)

Bailey sticks to his guns and gives Hogg a second over but isn't immediately rewarded when the bowler fires one down the leg side. It beats everyone to run away for four, as does the next when Kamran lofts him over cover and out to the boundary. He's really struggling, Hogg. Just when we were busy giving him plaudits...

Again, Hogg goes for 13 and George Bailey has some tough decisions; namely the need to consider a part-timer.

10th over: Pakistan 83-2 (Kamran Akmal 24, Umar Akmal 34)

As Brad Hogg tries to collect himself, Shane Watson returns to the fray in the hope of stemming Pakistan's new-found ascendancy. His first three deliveries go for singles before Doug Bollinger drops another sitter at short fine leg but it was a no ball anyway. The Aussies have been a rabble in the field in the last 4 overs though and that is compounded when Watson bowls his third full toss of the over and Umar smashes it over mid wicket for the first six of the innings. A frustratingly (from Australia's perspective) well run two that finishes the over is emblematic of Australia's general loss of the plot right now.

9th over: Pakistan 69-2 (Kamran Akmal 20, Umar Akmal 25)

No sooner had he dropped that catch than Brad Hogg has to mark out his run and set about righting his fielding wrong. Kamran Akmal has other ideas, tucking him down to fine leg for four and then benefiting from a David Warner misfield on the deep cover boundary to pick up another. I'm not sure if the dropped catch has put Hogg off his game, but his poor first over goes for 13 and Pakistan look to have overcome their Powerplay curse. Game on.

8th over: Pakistan 56-2 (Kamran Akmal 9, Umar Akmal 23)

After some sloppy work from Haddin, Coulter-Nile's leg-side wide becomes two but that's nothing on the next delivery, which Umar lofts over mid-wicket for a boundary. Coulter-Nile responds in the best possible way, jamming a yorker into Umar's toes. A couple of deliveries Umar plays a quite wonderful straight drive past Coulter-Nile for another four and then hits one straight down the throat of Brad Hogg in the deep. We appear to have cursed the veteran Aussie because he shells an absolute sitter. Oh dear.

James Steerforth has Hoggy thoughts too and says, "Just as there would be fewer 43-year-old men fitter than Brad Hogg, few if any would still be sporting the same floppy hair-do that their mum chose for them in 1976." And I know we've covered this before, but he does look a lot like Tom Cruise.

7th over: Pakistan 42-2 (Kamran Akmal 8, Umar Akmal 13)

Watson starts his next over with a pair of precious dot balls before conceding Kamran a single down to fine leg. The crowd atmosphere is surprisingly lively for a match the might not actually give two hoots about. Maybe they're big Shane Watson fans. Kamran Akmal certainly is; he's never been dismissed by him in a T20. Still, it's Umar who gets forward to turn Watson's penultimate delivery into a full toss he can drive to the cover boundary. Otherwise it's another miserly over for the Aussies and Pakistan must be concerned about their scoring rate. It'll need to lift, and quickly.

6th over: Pakistan 36-2 (Kamran Akmal 7, Umar Akmal 8)

We're now into the Powerplay and it's Nathan Coulter-Nile's turn to roll his arm over. They're not good in the Powerplays, Pakistan. Terrible, in fact. 37 runs per Powerplay bad. Seemingly intent on single-handedly correcting that, Umar plays a disdainful straight pull that almost kills umpire Nigel Llong before it heads to the boundary.

Dean Laffan has an addition to my query on the incredible fitness levels of Brad Hogg. "He still holds the record for best beep test in the Aussie team," he says. "Any one. Any age. Ever."

5th over: Pakistan 29-2 (Kamran Akmal 6, Umar Akmal 4)

Watson's first delivery to Umar Akmal is a short one and the new batsman swats it away unconvincingly for two before driving expansively over mid-off for another couple of runs off the next. It's a statement of intent from the batsman but one that's not without its risks.

It's a tidy and profitable over from Watson, who won't mind seeing Umar play such risky strokes at all.

WICKET! Mohammad Hafeez b Watson 13 (Pakistan 25-2)

It turns out that Bailey wasn't tempted to give Starc a third over so it's Shane Watson who appears to engage in his patented brand of canny wobblers. His second delivery is on the money and Mohammad Hafeez's slog is edged straight onto his stumps. Pakistan are two down.

4th over: Pakistan 25-1 (Akmal 6, Hafeez 13)

Bollinger starts his second over by pitching up a little too much to Hafeez, who squirts two through the gully region. Bollinger escapes a leg side wide of his own when a strays onto the thigh pad of Hafeez, but the next delivery is cross-batted through mid-wicket for a boundary; a case of a bad ball copping a correspondingly ugly shot. The next is clipped away for four in the same region and Hafeez is away. The second of those boundaries was smartly clipped away from the pads and Bollinger is soon scratching at his mark and huffing in displeasure.

Lee Henderson asks, "thought: I'm not sure if it's already been said but is this the oldest aged team that Australia's ever put on a field, is it the oldest side in any international of the modern age?" Not sure it's the oldest, is it stattos? It is old though, which brings me to another question: are there many fitter 43-year-olds than Brad Hogg?

3rd over: Pakistan 14-1 (Akmal 6, Hafeez 2)

Starc starts his second over with a leg side wide and two balls later a cropped cover drive gets past Aaron Finch at short cover and runs away quickly for a boundary. That's quite a slope down to that side of the ground and it ran away fast for a shot played with minimal back-lift.

In true Kamran Akmal style, the batsman follows that attractive stroke by feathering dangerously and wide outside off stump, narrowly avoiding an edge. Starc is bowling with pace and carry and Bailey might think twice about giving him one more over.

2nd over: Pakistan 9-1 (Akmal 2, Hafeez 2)

Though no-one expected (or perhaps wanted) him to be here, it's Doug Bollinger who shares the new ball with Starc and steams in from his quite ludicrously long run-up. I've long held the suspicion that Bollinger's run-up is his actual fitness routine. It's quite a work-out, that's for sure and his efforts are of the whole-hearted variety.

Akmal is soon swiping Bollinger down to third man but the bowler is moving it away where Starc was hooping it in during the over before. Two left-arm bowlers offering great variety. The wicket of Shehzad brings Mohammad Hafeez to the wicket and he's immediately swinging Bollinger wide of fine leg for two. That's a super start for Bollinger.

1st over: Pakistan 6-0 (Shehzad 5, Akmal 1)

It's Mitchell Starc who starts things off with the new ball for the Aussies and how great it is to see him fit and firing again in Australian colours. Shehzad faces and immediately and quite effortlessly cuts him for four with minimal foot movement but beautiful balance. The next swings in at brisk pace and takes an inside edge down to fine leg.

Facing his first delivery, an edge flies through to Haddin off the bat of Kamran Akmal but there is some doubt about a potential no ball so it's reviewed. Replays confirm that it's not out and the crowd is particularly happy with the chance to see more of Kamran. He's more circumspect off Starc's next delivery, which hoops in viciously once it's past the stumps and probably makes Haddin think twice; a beautiful shape, that ball.

After Akmal's single to third man, Shehzad is watchfully defending to finish the over.

Some reader feedback

James Steerforth asks, "As an expert on his illustrious career, I'd be interested in your opinion on what Steve Small's unique skills might have added to grace the pages of international T20." He refers to this. I have no idea James, but I do know that Steve Small was unique in his insistence on having his kids feature in his endorsement deals. How long until Shane Watson pulls that move with young William?

Martyn Beeston says, "Looking forward to today's game... fancy Australia to win the tournament. Brad Hogg is the cricketing equivalent of Ryan Giggs." For the sake of his home life, you'd almost hope not, right?

Goerge Bailey on Ajmal and co

The Australian captain had this to say: ""We went through the Pakistan team in our meeting last night, and there are so many match-winners. I think historically we have struggled against their spinners. If we are to win, we have to play their spinners well."

I quite enjoy that kind of honesty; "so many match-winners"... It makes you imagine them sitting in a circle of honesty and just going, "geez, Afridi could win it for them...Ajmal could win it for them..."

Or George Bailey is just being nice. It might just be that. He'll probably try and hit Ajmal out of the ground. Speaking of spinners, Australia's 43-year-old tweaker Brad Hogg presents a fascinating case study in this tournament. He was magnificent at times in the Big Bash League summer just gone and his relish for international wickets cannot help but get you onside. That and statements like this...

Ajmal fear is real

Every time Australia play against Pakistan I convince myself that Saeed Ajmal will literally take all ten wickets and reduce the Aussie batsmen to a quivering mess. Mohammad Hafeez probably wishes he could bowl him from both ends.

Welcome!

Good evening all.

It all begins now for the Aussies in their tilt at the World T20 crown. The bookies have them as favourites, but they've never won it before and this time will encounter pitches unlike anything they've played on recently. That favouritism business is madness, really. The Aussies were 10th in the world a couple of years back and going back a little further than that, spent the formative years of International T20 in a seriously delusional state, is if they genuinely believed that comedy was the order of the day. They got their act together eventually, but have never been entirely convincing in T20 for long stretches.

Going in Australia's favour is the form they showed in their practice match against New Zealand as well as the more general ascendancy of Australian cricket right at the moment. Winning makes you feel like a winner, no matter what the format.

Their opponents Pakistan started their own campaign with a loss to India but boast some spin options that will test the Aussie top order, not all masters of the discipline by any stretch. Australia might also fear the fact that Pakistan are coming off a loss and are therefore, on a mad and unpredictable level, somehow much much more likely to pull off something brilliant. In the endless procession of matches against England and India, the Aussies actually haven't squared off against Pakistan at T20 level in two years. This game is a rare and beautiful snowflake, I guess.

Teams are not available yet, but James Faulkner will definitely miss for the Aussies. Dan Christian is his likely replacement. Pakistan should probably just play 4 spinners, but I suppose the seamers alliance will probably stand firm.

So, will Australia continue their march towards global domination or will they fall apart at the seams in the face of Ajmal's doosra? I for one, am very excited about the prospect of finding out. I'd also like your take on things, so hit me on russell.jackson.casual@theguardian.com with all of your witty and insightful observations.

Russell will be here shortly, in the meantime here's Geoff Lemon's preview of Australia's chances:

For a country accustomed to winning cricket matches, Australia has an indifferent record in the Twenty20 International format. Their ICC ranking just squeezed up to fifth, but has been as low as tenth in the last year or two. “When I was playing T20s for Australia it was a bit of a day off really,” admitted former all-rounder Andrew Symonds. As captain, Ricky Ponting had a famous disregard for the format, while his successor Michael Clarke barely dabbled.

Despite this, Australia has managed one final and two semi-finals in four T20 World Cups, and Australians seem to be the most popular foreigners at IPL auctions. Perhaps the problem is that the team spends so little time together, and series occur so sporadically. While there’s plenty of individual talent, we’re yet to see a team on the park that can match the best going around.